McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Happy birthday, Lawren S. Harris. 🏔️ Born on this day in 1885, Harris was a founding member of the Group of Seven. He brought a growing sense of abstraction and spirituality to his depictions of the natural world, seeking to express something beyond what the eye could see.

To mark the occasion, we’re sharing an excerpt from singer and composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s essay on Harris’s iconic 𝘗𝘪𝘤 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 (c. 1924) — a meditation on spirituality, Lake Superior, and what it means to stand in awe of the natural world.

Join us for a book launch. 📚 On Tuesday, November 3, from 6:30–8:30 pm at Queen Books in Toronto, you're invited to join us for the launch of 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳: 𝘈 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 mcmichael.com/event/from-w...

This new publication by Anishinaabe artist and scholar Bonnie Devine and photographer Robert Burley explores their interdisciplinary project, which traces the Toronto Carrying Place Trail through historical research, mapping, storytelling, watercolour, and photography.

Autumn in Algoma. 🍂 Lawren Harris painted 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 (c. 1923) during his time in Ontario's Algoma District — a region that elicited some of his most sensuous and warm work, a world away from the stark grandeur of his later Lake Superior and Arctic scenes.

Harris’s unadorned vista evokes a feeling of calm, expressing the spiritual resonance he would increasingly strive for in his works

Autumn in Algoma. 🍂 Lawren Harris painted 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 (c. 1923) during his time in Ontario's Algoma District — a region that elicited some of his most sensuous and warm work, a world away from the stark grandeur of his later Lake Superior and Arctic scenes.

“Art must be even more than translation. An artist never insults nature by trying to reproduce her creations. Learning from nature, an artist tries himself to create.” — Elizabeth Wyn Wood Happy birthday, Elizabeth Wyn Wood!

Through minimal, elegantly executed forms, Wood created a dynamic and expressive vision of the Canadian landscape. Her work confidently stands alongside that of the painters of her day, while demonstrating the unique possibilities of sculpture as a way of seeing and interpreting the land.

“Art must be even more than translation. An artist never insults nature by trying to reproduce her creations. Learning from nature, an artist tries himself to create.” — Elizabeth Wyn Wood Happy birthday, Elizabeth Wyn Wood!

Born in Orillia, Ontario, Wood (1903–1966) transformed what sculpture in Canada could be. At a time when the landscape was largely the domain of painters, she brought it into three dimensions, translating islands, rocks and trees into clean, curving forms.

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we're reflecting on 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Pierre Aupilardjuk — and the story behind the work.

The stories held within our collection continue to invite reflection — and to remind us of the importance of listening to Indigenous artists and the histories they carry forward.

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we're reflecting on 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Pierre Aupilardjuk — and the story behind the work.

"...My mother and father thought they would get paid, or be given something to eat, so my mother cleaned it very nicely and gave it to my father to give to the priest. They received nothing in return..."

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we're reflecting on 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Pierre Aupilardjuk — and the story behind the work.

The work comes to the McMichael with the following story from Aupilardjuk:

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we're reflecting on 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Pierre Aupilardjuk — and the story behind the work.

Happy 100th birthday, Takao Tanabe. 🎉 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 #23 (1972) is from the series for which he is best known: more than 200 minimalist paintings of the flat Canadian Prairie, made throughout the 1970s.

What makes Tanabe's work so singular is the way it holds multiple traditions at once — the influence of Japanese brushwork and sumi-e, the lessons of American colour field painting, and the influence of the vast prairie landscape.

Happy 100th birthday, Takao Tanabe. 🎉 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 #23 (1972) is from the series for which he is best known: more than 200 minimalist paintings of the flat Canadian Prairie, made throughout the 1970s.

Tanabe knew that landscape intimately — traversing it on countless hitchhiking and driving trips between Winnipeg and Banff, where he led the Banff School from 1973 to 1980.

“I see my paintings as a celebration of life. My subconscious mind may well dictate some content and I’m content to leave it at that. I am uncomfortable with words - my paintings are perhaps my most honest and legitimate statement.” - Daphne Odjig

Through her art, Odjig both celebrated Indigenous culture and confronted difficult truths—colonization, displacement, and the experiences of Indigenous women and children—transforming them into powerful visual narratives.

“I see my paintings as a celebration of life. My subconscious mind may well dictate some content and I’m content to leave it at that. I am uncomfortable with words - my paintings are perhaps my most honest and legitimate statement.” - Daphne Odjig

Born on this day in 1919, Daphne Odjig was a self-taught artist whose career spanned six decades and a wide range of styles and media.

𝘙𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘓𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 opens at the Yukon Arts Centre today. 🌲 If you’re in Whitehorse, join photographer Rita Leistner and McMichael curator John Geoghegan for a free conversation Sept 12 at 1 pm. yukonartscentre.com/whats-on/rita-leistner-the-tree-planters/

Hello, September! 🍂

1/ J.E.H. MacDonald, 𝘈𝘭𝘨𝘰𝘮𝘢 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘩, 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 1920, oil on paperboard, 21.1 x 26.7 cm, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Gift of Mr. R.A. Laidlaw, 1966.15.3 2/ Tom Thomson, 𝘈𝘭𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 1913, oil on canvas board, 17.5 x 25 cm, Gift of the Founders, Robert & Signe McMichael, 1966.16.64

A new chapter is beginning at the McMichael. On July 26, 2026, we will temporarily close our doors to begin a once-in-a-generation transformation — expanding our facilities for exhibitions, enhancing how we care for the collection, and strengthening our place as home to the art of Canada.

We will remain open through 5 pm on Sunday, July 26. Bring a friend! Admission will be free on our final weekend, July 25 & 26.